Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - What's Next?

Key Points

• Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ: SMBC) experienced a significant drop in trading volume on Monday, with approximately 42,399 shares traded, down from 55,086 shares the previous session.
• Analysts show confidence in the stock, with Stephens reiterating an "overweight" rating and a price target of $65.00, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target from $60.00 to $63.00.
• The company recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, up from $0.23, with an annualized yield of 1.9% for investors of record on August 15th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 42,399 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 23% from the previous session's volume of 55,086 shares.The stock last traded at $52.86 and had previously closed at $54.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SMBC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Southern Missouri Bancorp from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Stock Down 1.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $592.12 million, a PE ratio of 10.17 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $54.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.48.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.16. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 19.17%. The business had revenue of $47.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.60 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Southern Missouri Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Southern Missouri Bancorp's payout ratio is presently 17.76%.

Insider Activity

In other Southern Missouri Bancorp news, Director William E. Young sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total transaction of $563,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 94,987 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,768.10. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 16.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern Missouri Bancorp

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the second quarter worth $32,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the first quarter worth $94,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $138,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.5% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD acquired a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $220,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.49% of the company's stock.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern Bank that provides banking and financial services to individuals and corporate customers in the United States. The company offers deposits products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement savings plans, and money market deposit accounts.